The Green Girl: Intriguing international icon

John Deere & Company is intriguing. It is also as much an international icon as it is a nationwide namesake.

From its humble roots in the tiny town on the banks of the river in Grand Detour, Illinois, John Deere’s blacksmith business grew into a worldwide enterprise over the past 164 years. In fact, that one-man shop now does business in more than 160 countries and employs around 43,000 people.

Today, Deere & Co. owns several factories outside U.S. borders as well as numerous branch offices with dealers and customers in every corner of the globe.

According to Deere, it’s been the world's premier producer of agricultural equipment since 1963. For you product timeline buffs, that’d be soon after the grand introduction of the New Generation tractor line at Deere Day in Dallas, which signaled the end of the two-cylinder era.

You can visit Deere’s website through a dozen different countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa, and the UK/Ireland. For customers or collectors in many of these countries, Deere even has a dedicated website in each language with specialized information for that location.

Next week, we’ll look at a major international component of Deere’s past product line —İthe Lanz tractor from Germany.

Global collectibles

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On Tuesday, March 10, 1987, Deere executives were treated to a four-course feast at the Excelsior in Hong Kong. This shadow-box menu showcases an intricate Asian scene made out of paper. Some other souvenirs from this conference include a bottle of sake and keepsake booklet. Photo © 2000 Brenda Kruse.

This unique assortment of international items highlights the worldwide recognition of the John Deere brand. From a factory in France to Caracas, Venezuela, and even Jamaica (‘mon'!), John Deere promotional items are not limited to the shores of the United States.

The three silver pieces in the bottom row (change tray, bottle opener, key chain) mark the 1-millionth engine built by the Saran, France, factory in 1993. The gold flip-top calanedar displays a Model 50 or 60 tractor on the front and says "C.ADE TRACTORES Y MAQUINARIAS CARACAS LA ENCRUCIJADA BARQUISIMETO" on the back. This Spanish piece omes from Caracas, Venezuela. The pen holder in the upper right corner is also a thermometer made by Honeywell. Complete with the four-legged deer logo, the base states "Conferencia John Deere. Jamaica. Agosto 1966." Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar.

These two pewter medallions marked "22 August 1967" and "Serie [sic] 20" were likely part of a giveaway when the 20 Series tractors were introduced overseas. Made in Mannheim, Germany, the 20 Series tractors debuted in Europe with full fenders, left-hand passenger seat, locally required lighting, and optional 4-post ROPS or outside suppliers’ cabs. Even today, the Mannheim factory builds the smaller ag tractors for John Deere. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar.